Confidentiality

• The last of the ACM general ethical principles is

  Honor confidentiality

• If you work in IT you often have access to private information
• Things like salary, medical data and the results of disciplinary proceedings
• This must not be shared with anyone outside the organization
• Even within an organization only certain employees need access to this data
• It is your duty to make sure that this information is only used for valid reasons
• You should not discuss anything you learn with friends or family
• As a teacher, I am subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• This law spells out my responsibility to preserve the confidentiality of my students
• I cannot reveal a student's grade to their parents without the student's permission
• Unless they are under 18
• I once discovered a student bringing a hidden smart phone into a final exam
• I failed the student and documented it to the appropriate authorities
• I believe this student to be a serial lier who will cheat again
• But I am not allowed to mention the student's name to other instructors
• In some hospitals there are signs in the elevators
• They warn hospital staff not to discuss patient information
• Since others might hear it
• If you have access to privileged information
• You have a duty to keep it confidential